Thursday, August 28, 2008

Climate Change: The earth is a beautifully complex system From The AP via The Pueblo Chieftain: "More ominous signs Wednesday have scientists saying that a global warming 'tipping point' in the Arctic seems to be happening before their eyes: Sea ice in the Arctic Ocean is at its second lowest level in about 30 years. The National Snow and Ice Data Center reported that sea ice in the Arctic now covers about 2.03 million square miles. The lowest point since satellite measurements began in 1979 was 1.65 million square miles set last September. With about three weeks left in the Arctic summer, this year could wind up breaking that previous record, scientists said." Category: Climate Change News 7:28:20 AM

Supply news From The Norwood Post: "It started with the Town of Norwood's innocuous efforts to protect drinking water, but last week the situation reached a boiling point when the Farmers Water Development Company threatened to pull the water it sells to the municipal system. It was the threat of gas drilling around the Gurley ditch and the potential contamination that made San Miguel County and Town of Norwood officials explore the possibility of an ordinance to protect the town's water source, but local ranchers and farmers instead seem threatened by the ordinance itself. Farmers Water has a contract to sell as much as 300 acre-feet of water annually to the Norwood Water Commission for the town's water system, and the town typically consumes about 200 of those acre-feet each year. The organization warned officials that they could rescind that agreement if the ordinance were pursued... "The Town of Norwood has the rights to draw water from the San Miguel River, some 5 cfs (cubic feet per second), but as yet has not created the infrastructure to reverse gravity, and pump the water upward from the designated diversion point. The Norwood Water Commission operates the municipal water system and is in the midst of an expensive upgrade to the treatment plant that processes the current water supply. The plant has been plagued by problems in the recent past, and has been out of compliance with the drinking water standards. The water in the system is difficult to treat for the exact same reason that it is particularly vulnerable to drilling: it's an open source system. Any surface disturbances, including the normal seasonal snowmelt cycles, affect the water as it enters the system to be treated." Category: Colorado Water 7:16:53 AM

Whitewater park for Palisade? From The Grand Junction Free Press: "The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service will support Palisade building a whitewater park in the Colorado River, but only if the design allows enough water to flow to accommodate endangered fish, said the director of the federal endangered fish recovery program. "We've always supported this project, if it can provide adequate passage for the endangered fish," said Bob Muth, director of the Upper Colorado River Endangered Fish Recovery Program." More from the article: The town needs permission from the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service before the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers issues a permit for the town to build the park. These actions are necessary because the park is proposed in the middle of critical habitat for four endangered fish -- Colorado pikeminnow, razorback sucker, bonytail chub and humpback chub. The U.S. government just spent $18 million building four fish ladders, said Patty Gelatt, fish and wildlife biologist for the Fish & Wildlife Service. Fish ladders are canal-type bypass structures designed to allow fish to swim around dams in a river. Since 1996 when the first fish ladder opened on the Gunnison River around the Redlands diversion canal, 127 endangered fish and 90,000 other native fish have used the Redlands fish ladder, Gelatt said. The last thing the federal government wants to do is permit a structure that would impede the flow of endangered fish, Gelatt said. Now, the federal agency requested the town to model a new design of the whitewater park that was submitted in June. Sarmo said the town shouldn't need to do that and spend the money because all the information the federal agency needs has already been provided. More coverage from The Grand Junction Daily Sentinel. From the article: Palisade's plans for a whitewater park in the Colorado River seem to be going nowhere, prompting town officials to push the project to the back of the line of municipal projects. Federal officials have told the town they're unlikely to issue the positive biological opinion needed to win approval from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Town Administrator Tim Sarmo said. "And they can't assure us that if we did certain things, we'd have a permit," Sarmo said. "It's gone on too long and without assurances, without assistance and without proactive help. We're out of time, out of money and out of patience." The town has told the federal agencies involved in the project that it won't provide any more documentation for its project and that it wants a determination about whether a permit will be approved... This past winter, Palisade sounded the river to build a two-dimensional map of the section of the river near Riverbend Park that it wants to use for the whitewater park. Federal officials asked the town to arrange rocks in a chevron formation, which is believed to offer the best opportunity for fish to swim their way upstream. The town agreed, but federal officials asked them to run the model again, Sarmo said. Time, however, is catching up to the project, and it's fast disappearing, Sarmo said. To move ahead, the town needs the permit by Sept. 15. "If they don't issue it by then, I'd like to know why," he said. Work has to begin in the riverbed by Oct. 15 in order to be done by the spring runoff of 2009, he said. More Coyote Gulch coverage here. Category: Colorado Water 7:04:13 AM

Tamarisk control update Here's an update on the use of tamarisk leaf beetles for tamarisk control, from The Durango Telegraph. From the article: Tamarisk, or salt cedar, is a native of Eurasia introduced to North America by nurseries that sold the small tree as an attractive, quick-growing ornamental. However, without any natural predators, the trees spread rampantly from front yards into river corridors and beyond. Since its first introduction, the tenacious plant has seeded itself all over the West, displacing more than 1.6 million acres of willows, cottonwoods and other native vegetation. It is also estimated that each year the thirsty trees consume 2 to 4.5 million acre-feet of water from Western rivers, water that could meet the needs of 20 million people or 1 million acres of irrigated farmland. Tamarisk also recently set deeps roots in the Animas River drainage, joining Russian olive and Siberian elm, two invasive trees that have been on the local landscape for many years... But now a decades-old effort to bring a natural tamarisk predator into the region is beginning to yield strong results. Tamarisk stands along the Dolores, Colorado and San Juan rivers have taken hard hits in recent years thanks largely to the release of a non-descript green bug known as the tamarisk leaf beetle. In conjunction with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Dan Bean, of the Palisade Insectary, first explored bio-control of tamarisk in 1987. At that time, Bean discovered Diorhabda elongata deserticola Chen, a beetle native to China and Kazakhstan that subsists exclusively on the invasive tree. A decade of study went into the beetle. When land managers were confident the bug would feed only on tamarisk, it was approved for open release in 2001. Initial test releases of the bugs were conducted in Delta, Utah, and central Nevada, where hundreds of acres of tamarisk were rapidly defoliated by the bugs. In 2004, beetles from Delta where transported to Moab and Horsethief bench outside of Fruita. Not only have those local transplants thrived at the expense of tamarisk, they have started to spread through the region and chewed through many of the invasive trees in their wake. "The beetles in Moab and in Horsethief Canyon have taken off," Bean said. "In 2008, they blasted their way up the Dolores River and are past Bedrock and have reached as high as McPhee Reservoir. They've also started to sweep across from Monticello and down into the Cortez area." Beyond having a huge appetite for tamarisk leaves, the tiny beetles are well suited to the Southwest, which is similar in latitude to their native range in Asia. Further south or north, introduction efforts have been hampered by poor reproduction by the bugs. "Regionally, the effort has exceeded expectations," Bean said. "We expected that the beetles would present a mild challenge to tamarisk and open the way for some natives to return. We didn't realize that we'd see complete defoliation of large stands of tamarisk." However, there are some concerns that this biological solution could cause some problems of its own. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has objected to releases of the beetles in the Animas River drainage because of the endangered southwest willow flycatcher. In an ironic twist, the flycatcher nests in tamarisk when the native willow has been displaced. However, Bean doubts the validity of this claim. "There's no evidence at all that the beetles harm the birds," he said. "In fact, there is evidence that they provide an additional food source. The concern is that without willows or tamarisk, the birds will have no nesting sites." Bean also disputed any danger of the beetles making a host jump and developing a taste for native plants. He noted that no species are even remotely similar to tamarisk, and when the beetles are finished with a stand they virtually disappear. "They leave the area when the plants are defoliated," Bean said. "They get up in the wind and they're gone. I always tell people that this is a bug that would rather commit suicide than switch hosts." More Coyote Gulch coverage here. Category: Colorado Water 6:58:35 AM

Draft EIS released for Windy Gap Firming Project Reclamation has released the draft environmental impact statement for the Windy Gap Firming Project which the Northern Colorado Water Conservancy District hopes will lead to the construction of the proposed Chimney Hollow Reservoir, according to The Fort Collins Coloradoan. From the article: Federal officials have released the draft Environmental Impact Statement for Chimney Hollow Reservoir and the Windy Gap Firming Project, which would solidify water supplies for some Northern Colorado cities. The draft EIS document looks at four alternatives for the project, which is intended to shore up Western Slope water supplies for participating water districts and municipalities, which include Loveland, Greeley and Longmont. The lynchpin of the project is Chimney Hollow Reservoir, which would hold 90,000 acre feet of water, about as much as Carter Lake... The reservoir is the alternative preferred by the Northern Water Conservancy District and the municipalities. Northern Water officials have begun reviewing the document, but so far have found no surprises, said district spokeswoman Jill Boyd. "From the analysis we've seen we believe this is a viable project," Boyd said. The reservoir would be built on land purchased by the Northern Water Conservancy and Larimer County in 2004 from Hewlett-Packard Co. for $7.8 million... If the project is approved, reservoir construction could begin in 2011, officials say. It could be open for recreation in 2015 or 2016...Comment on the document will be taken by the federal Bureau of Reclamation through Oct. 28. More Coyote Gulch coverage here and here. Category: Colorado Water 6:47:32 AM

Mining From Market Watch: "Colorado Goldfields Inc. initiated two projects to assess alternative water treatment technologies in the Cement Creek watershed of San Juan County, Colorado, one of which is in conjunction with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Bureau of Land Management. These projects and our pursuit of green energy sources for our sites demonstrate our environmental stewardship and intent to decrease future production costs. "One project tests the Rotating Cylinder Treatment System(TM) (RCTS) at a proposed district-scale water treatment facility near Gladstone, Colorado. The U.S. Government is providing the bulk of the project's funding. Testing is being performed by Ionic Water Technologies, Inc. of Nevada. CGFI is providing test work locations, equipment, water containment vessels, and personnel. "Separately, CGFI will be testing an Ionic State Modification (ISM) system, developed by Blue Sky Water Treatment Technologies, Inc., to potentially treat the water discharge at the Company's Gold King site." Category: Colorado Water 6:38:57 AM

	Wednesday, August 27, 2008

Tamarisk education From The Montrose Press: "As invasive species removal continues on the Gunnison River, work is also under way to inform the public. Educational efforts, involving events and signage, aim to teach the public about the detriment of noxious weeds on the riparian (riverside) and upland habitats, said Lynae Rogers, rangeland management specialist/weed coordinator. Tamarisk and other invasive species negatively affect native ecosystems, threatened and endangered species and water resources, she said. This educational component is part of a recently awarded 5 Star Grant that supports continued eradication. The project will take out invasive plants and restore native species to enhance the riverside habitat along 23 miles of the Gunnison River within the Gunnison Gorge National Conservation Area, according to the Uncompahgre Plateau Project. The target species are tamarisk, Russian knapweed and whitetop." More Coyote Gulch coverage here. Category: Colorado Water 6:43:22 PM

Southern Delivery System From The Colorado Springs Gazette: "'We are still taking water quality comments on the Draft Environmental Impact Statement and will continue to take comments indefinitely,' Bureau of Reclamation spokeswoman Kara Lamb said. 'We are also performing an additional water quality analysis, which will augment the existing EIS.' Once the new analysis is completed, she said an additional 45-day public comment period will open for the new analysis only. Lamb said the extra steps came after the agency received nearly 400 public comments on the Southern Delivery System, which would pipe water from Pueblo Reservoir to northeast Colorado Springs. 'We received comments with significant data indicating that we should respond,' she said." More from the article: Among those was a statement from Pueblo Chieftain publisher Bob Rawlings, who expressed concern about pollution of Fountain Creek, which meets the Arkansas east of Pueblo. Rep. Mark Udall, D-Eldorado Springs, who's running for the Senate seat held by retiring Republican Wayne Allard, urged the bureau in late June to slow the review, citing Rawlings' comments. The public comment period closed June 13. "His (Rawlings') comments, and others, really underscore the depth of concern that exists about the project and how it might affect water users throughout the Arkansas River basin," Udall wrote. Udall's letter surprised and angered Springs officials. Lamb wouldn't say whether the slowdown bodes ill for the project. "I think this is all good news," she said. "This is exactly what the NEPA (National Environmental Policy Act) process is designed to do. It helps fine tune the analysis." She said the bureau's Record of Decision is still expected in early 2009. More Coyote Gulch coverage here. Category: Colorado Water 6:18:17 PM

The water cycle Here's a nice instructional video, The Water Cycle by Mr. Davies. Thanks to Water Busters for the link. The next generation of engineers and scientists will love the film. The water cycle is pretty simple. Liquid and gaseous water, gravity, condensation, precipitation, transpiration. Category: Colorado Water 5:57:12 PM

The American Southwest: Are We Running Dry? "He created a water issue on which both of these candidates could agree, and that is that we should not open the Colorado River Compact." -- Sara Duncan, moderator of last week's U.S. Senate debate at the Colorado Water Congress. McCain's out of touch comment won't die down. At a screening yesterday for a new film "The American Southwest: Are We Running Dry?" narrated by actress Jane Seymour to run on PBS this fall Democrats took the opportunity to pile on, according to The Pueblo Chieftain. From the article: [Jane] Seymour was the main attraction at a Democratic National Convention reception to feature the film before some of the nation's leading Democrats, including New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md., and U.S. Sen. Benjamin Cardin, D-Md. The film includes interviews with such Western lawmakers as U.S. Sens. Ken Salazar, D-Colo., and Pete Domenici, R-N.M. "The only time many people understand the importance of water is when they don't have it," Salazar says in the film, produced by Jim Thebaut. "As we get into a water shortage situation, that's when people will awaken and start understanding the importance of water."[...] Thebaut, who's produced other documentaries about global water needs, said his hope is to spark a discussion about water needs not only in the Southwest, but across the nation. "I focused on the spine of the water, and the fact that the Colorado is at the lowest level that it's ever been," he said. "I talk about public policy, then I talk about technology and then I talk about conservation, and how everyone has to get involved. It's a multidimensional approach to getting everybody stirred up. People have to recognize that this is like a train coming down the track, and nobody is even aware of it." The film focuses on the dwindling water supplies in the West, the drought that has plagued the region for several years, and the effects climate change has had on water supplies. At the same time, it calls for more water conservation measures, such as replacing water-hungry lawns with drought-tolerant plants, and a greater emphasis on finding alternative water sources, such as desalination plants along the West Coast... While Thebaut's film avoids a partisan slant, Democrats in the room couldn't resist chastising the presumptive GOP candidate for president, Arizona Sen. John McCain, for his recent call for renegotiating the 1922 Colorado River Water Compact. "Senator McCain's insensitivity toward Western Water gives Democrats a fighting chance to win the White House," Richardson said. "The Colorado River pact is sacrosanct to all of us Westerners, so even for a president of the United States (opening the pact) is a senseless policy." 7:32:28 AM

Climax From The Vail Daily: "State mining regulators said the reopening of the Climax Molybdenum Mine on Fremont Pass will eventually require a significant expansion of the tailings ponds in the Ten Mile Creek drainage, and a new water-treatment facility at the bottom of the ponds to purify the water before it flows back into the stream. More from the article: The initial $500 million project includes the restart of open-pit mining and a new milling facility to process the ore. Construction of the milling facility is under way. Production is expected to begin in 2010. Start-up activities at the mine are covered under the existing state permit. But the Colorado Division of Minerals and Geology expect Freeport to apply for a permit amendment in the near future, said state regulator Allen Sorenson. "They can't do what they want to do with their current permit. The size of the tailings disposal and the open-pit waste rock disposal ... are limited by the current permit ... they will need to be enlarged significantly," Sorenson said. Summit County will also review some of the activities associates with the reopening of the mine. "We've had informal conversations with them the past couple of years," said Summit County planning director Jim Curnutte. "Any change to their state permit would get a review by the county," he said. The county would also review site plans for new water-treatment and sludge- densification facilities if they are needed, Curnutte said. More generally, the county will use its so-called 1041 powers to review any major changes at the mine as a "major industrial water project," Curnutte said, referring to a 1974 state law giving local governments the power to review certain areas of "state interest." More Coyote Gulch coverage here. Category: Colorado Water 7:17:56 AM

Upper Ark scores $296,000 for satellite telemetry equipment to manage exchanges Here's an update on the Reclamation challenge grant to be use for satellite telemetry devices for reservoirs and streams in the Upper Arkansas Basin to help manage exchanges, from The Mountain Mail. From the article: Reservoirs, streams and augmentation stations within the Upper Arkansas Water Conservancy District will receive satellite measuring devices with help from a recent $296,724 challenge grant. Water district general manager Terry Scanga said the Bureau of Reclamation money will go toward installation of 15 stream and reservoir measuring devices throughout the district. Stations will be installed at six reservoirs, seven stream locations, and two augmentation stations, he said. The stations are the first phase of a plan to begin supervisory control and data acquisition within the water district. Upon completion, it will provide central monitoring and control of water flow from a single location. "Acquisition stations will upload data to a satellite and in turn be transmitted to our server," Scanga, said. The principle is similar to the process control systems used in industrial enterprises. "Because water demands are so high, we have to move to these industrial processes," Scanga said. Future plans call for automated gate operation to eliminate time-consuming trips for manual operation. "A trip up to North Fork Reservoir," Scanga said, "takes hours to complete, plus the wear and tear on vehicles." The project carries an estimated total cost of $800,000. Additional money will come from the Water Supply Reserve Account, Regional Resource Planning Group and Arkansas Basin Roundtable. Bureau of Reclamation grants go to water districts, Indian tribes, and other water management entities, to initiate water conservation and efficiency measures. Announcing recipients of recent grants, U.S. Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne said, "These grants will help quench the West's thirst for water in eight states by providing money to 15 projects that will improve efficient use of existing water." More Coyote Gulch coverage here. Category: Colorado Water 7:06:37 AM

Whitewater park for Palisade? Palisade's water park is dependent on federal approvals. The feds are worried about the park's effect on the Upper Colorado River Endangered Fish Recovery Program. The mayor of Palisade is frustrated that every time the town answers questions from the feds they are met with more questions. Situation normal. Here's a report from The Grand Junction Free Press. From the article: Palisade Town Manager Tim Sarmo questions whether the federal government wants a whitewater kayak park in Palisade, with its continual requests for more information. Late last week, Sarmo fired a request of his own to the federal government: a U.S. Freedom of Information Act request of the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. In it, Sarmo asked a long list of questions about funding and other details of the endangered fish recovery program. The town needs a positive biological opinion from the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service before the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will grant the town permission to build the whitewater park. The opinion is necessary because the park is proposed to be built in critical habitat for four endangered fish: Colorado pikeminnow, razorback sucker, bonytail chub, and humpback chub. When the town of Palisade provides information to the Fish & Wildlife Service, the federal agency only requests more information, Sarmo said. "I am definitely frustrated," Sarmo said, particularly because the town is using information the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation relied on when it built the endangered fish ladder, just upstream of the proposed whitewater park. "We've been engaged in a 30-month consultation with the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. We have spent large sums of money and we think they have enough information to issue a biological opinion," Sarmo said... Sarmo questioned why the town can't drop 14-inch boulders in the river to build a whitewater kayak park, when a federal agency can build a fish ladder -- when the town used the same information the federal agency used. In his letter, Sarmo asked for 14 specific pieces of information. Sarmo asked how many of each species of endangered fish have passed through each fish ladder per year. He asked the total number of endangered fish, per species, at the program's inception and today. He wanted to know the total cost to build each fish ladder in the Upper Colorado River Endangered Fish Recovery Program. He asked the total number of federal employees by agency who are paid in whole or part by the recovery program or its participants. He also asked about lobbyists, consultants and others whose salaries are paid by federal dollars in the recovery program. Sarmo asked for sums paid to consultant and lobbyist Tom Pitts. Sarmo asked about the federal contingency plans if the Fish & Wildlife Service cannot demonstrate endangered species can pass through the fish ladder at the Price-Stubb dam on the Colorado River. More Coyote Gulch coverage here. Category: Colorado Water 6:56:06 AM

? for U.S. Senate? Here's an excerpt of an interview with U.S. Representative Mark Udall, from The Sky-Hi Daily News. From the article: [SHDN]: West Slope leaders have been upping their game in protecting Upper Colorado River basin water for fear trans-basin diversions will threaten the health of rivers and natural Grand Lake. What have you accomplished thus far to help West Slope water efforts and what do you plan to do on behalf of those efforts as U.S. Senator? [Udall]: My efforts on water have been to "bridge the divide" -- working together to provide for the water needs of all of Colorado and not pit one region against another. In that spirit, I strongly opposed Referendum A, the 2003 ballot issue that would have given the state a $2 billion blank check to build water projects on the West Slope and transfer that water eastward without any protections or compensation for West Slope communities. In addition, I urged the Denver Water Department to work collaboratively with Grand County and others to address potential negative impacts to the Fraser River related to the Department's expansion of the Moffat Tunnel diversions, introduced legislation requiring the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to grant "cooperating agency" status under the National Environmental Policy Act to counties like Grand County affected by water diversion projects (H.R. 3465), and I urged the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation to include all users of the Green Mountain Reservoir in any requirement to maintain a minimum level of water in that reservoir and not place all of that responsibility on the Western Slope users. I also voted for the final passage of the Animas La Plata water storage project near Durango to satisfy the water needs of the Ute Tribes and the communities of that region, and in all wilderness and public lands legislation I have worked on -- including the James Peak Wilderness, Rocky Mountain National Park Wilderness, Black Canyon of the Gunnison, Spanish Peaks, and Colorado Canyon -- I have made sure that West Slope water rights have been protected. I plan to continue to work for all of Colorado to develop consensus-based solutions to water issues and make sure that we do not return to the water wars of the past. This is also an area where Bob Schaffer and I are very different. Bob Schaffer supported the fundamentally flawed Referendum A in 2003, which nearly 85 percent of Grand County opposed. In fact, Referendum A was defeated in every single county in Colorado. Congressman Schaffer also backed a court decision that would have made water from the Blue Mesa Reservoir on the Gunnison River available for sale. Water is a precious resource on the Western Slope. We shouldn't be selling it to the highest bidder. More Coyote Gulch coverage here and here. Category: Colorado Water 6:37:34 AM

	Tuesday, August 26, 2008

Grand County Emergency Algal Toxin Response Plan Here's an update on algae blooms in Grand County, from The Sky-Hi Daily News. From the article: Past late-season algae blooms in Grand Lake and Shadow Mountain Reservoir have prompted a series of algae tests being conducted in Colorado-Big Thompson Project reservoirs and Grand Lake. Bi-weekly and weekly sample-taking and testing, amounting to $40,000, is taking place in Grand Lake, Shadow Mountain, Granby, Willow Creek and Windy Gap reservoirs as part of a program funded by six agencies. Algae blooms develop in water bodies from increased water temperature and nutrient enrichment. A certain blue-green algae can develop algal toxins, which given sufficient concentration can produce negative health effects from drinking water and some lake recreation. Some summer residences on Grand Lake utilize lake water for domestic use. The tests are being performed into October, and if a health concern develops from test results, a Grand County Emergency Algal Toxin Response Plan is already in place, approved by Grand County commissioners last Tuesday. The plan outlines levels of toxins that exceed safe drinking water values established by the World Health Organization and when it is appropriate to issue drinking water and swimming advisories. Category: Colorado Water 6:37:23 AM

Tri-State asks water court to dismiss Environment Colorado's lawsuit From The Pueblo Chieftain: "A power generation cooperative is asking District 2 Water Court Judge Dennis Maes to dismiss a challenge to its change of use application on water rights in the Amity Canal. Tri-State filed two motions last week on the premise that arguments raised by Environment Colorado in its Aug. 4 motion to dismiss the Tri-State application are flawed and that the group has no standing in water court." More from the article: Tri-State's motions: Respond to Environment Colorado's arguments against Tri-State's change of water rights case, and ask the court to determine that the association may change use of its water rights that are stored in and released from John Martin Reservoir. Ask the court to determine that Environment Colorado has not alleged or shown injury and therefore lacks standing, and to determine that Environment Colorado's issues are outside the jurisdiction of the Water Court. Tri-State asks that Environment Colorado's case be dismissed, or alternatively, that Environment Colorado's participation in the case be limited to only cross-examination on relevant matters. Other responses opposing Environment Colorado's arguments were filed by the Colorado State and Division Engineers, Amity Mutual Irrigation Company, Buffalo Canal Company, City of Lamar, and Five Rivers Ranch Cattle Feeding LLC; Lower Arkansas Water Management Association; and Southeastern Colorado Water Conservancy District. Tri-State is a not-for-profit wholesale power supplier owned by 44 electric cooperatives and public power districts in rural areas of four states. More Coyote Gulch coverage here. Category: Colorado Water 6:31:45 AM

Southern Delivery System Here's some background on Reclamation's extended comment period for the environmental impact statement for Colorado Springs' proposed Southern Delivery System, from The Pueblo Chieftain. From the article: A new section on water quality impacts in the environmental impact statement for the proposed Southern Delivery System is being drafted and will be subject to a public comment period after it is released... Lamb said the new analysis will augment and support the existing draft EIS. Several comments submitted during the comment period for the draft EIS questioned whether Reclamation's assessment of water quality impacts of SDS were sufficient to meet the requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act. Ross Vincent, a Sierra Club senior consultant, said Monday he has been requesting comments on SDS from the Environmental Protection Agency for weeks, but they have not been available. "I was told they were still in discussion with the bureau about additional analysis that might be needed," Vincent said. Vincent said he does not know if Reclamation's action addresses all the concerns brought up about SDS, and the opinion of some that a new analysis with broader alternatives should be made. "The additional analysis is badly needed," Vincent said. "Whether it will make the EIS acceptable remains to be seen. The water quality analysis was not the only part of the EIS that fell short."[...] Some questioned why Reclamation ignored other potential water projects in the area, including a dam on Fountain Creek, pump-back storage plan in Fremont County, a reservoir east of Pueblo, a proposed pipeline to El Paso County from that reservoir, a plan that could bring water from Flaming Gorge Reservoir into the Arkansas Valley and the Arkansas Valley Conduit. More Coyote Gulch coverage here. Category: Colorado Water 6:25:28 AM

Northern Integrated Supply Project From The Loveland Reporter Herald: "The commissioners met with staff members Monday afternoon to review comments from county staffers, boards and commissions about the Northern Integrated Supply Project draft environmental impact statement... "The commissioners wanted more time and a separate meeting to discuss the two possible realignments of U.S. 287, which would have to be relocated across a ridge to the east to accommodate the reservoir. If built, it would be northwest of Fort Collins near the intersection of U.S. 287 and the Poudre Canyon highway, Colorado 14. They will include that information in a letter to the Army Corps. Staff members will draft it this week and present it to the commissioners during their weekly administrative matters meeting on Sept. 2. The commissioners also decided they did not want the Army Corps to evaluate the recreation benefits of Glade because that is not the purpose of the proposed reservoir." More Coyote Gulch coverage here. Category: Colorado Water 6:18:25 AM

Glenwood Springs' Whitewater park getting rave reviews Glenwood Springs' whitewater park has received a shout out from National Geographic, according to The Glenwood Springs Post Independent. From the article: The Glenwood Springs Whitewater Park is making national waves and just appeared in National Geographic Adventure magazine. The whitewater park turned up in the September issue of the magazine in a section called "Next Weekend: Instant Adventures." It went out earlier this month. "Thanks to a new million dollar whitewater park, paddlers are guaranteed a standing wave in the heart of town almost any day of the year. 'Super sick' is how kayakers are extolling Glenwood Springs Whitewater Park's main feature, an eight foot high crest," the magazine says. "It's a brilliant venue for anyone's arsenal of playboating tricks, be they spins, blunts or McNasties."[...] The park could get a lot more attention next year. The United States Freestyle Kayaking Association announced in April that the Glenwood Springs Whitewater Park was awarded the 2009 U.S. Kayak Freestyle Team Trials. The trials determine who goes to the 2009 world championships... [Jason] Carey said Glenwood's whitewater park is unique because it's one of the few parks around that creates an actual wave that boaters and even surfers can hydroplane on. Most parks are more of a hole rather than a wave. The holes are caused by a "pour over" of water rather than constricting the river to get the water's speed up, Carey said. "The ultimate goal and the reason that Glenwood was awarded the nationals and no other town in Colorado was is because it does create a wave," Carey said. "The waves are really rare, but that's the ultimate goal of freestyle kayaking." He said kayakers can do lots more tricks on a wave compared to a hole. More Coyote Gulch coverage here. Category: Colorado Water 6:08:23 AM

	Monday, August 25, 2008

Republican River update Here's an update on the ongoing talks between Colorado, Nebraska and Kansas over the Republican River Compact, from The Yuma Pioneer. From the article: Kansas will likely seek non-binding arbitration as the first step in solving compact compliance differences with Nebraska and Colorado. State water heads from all three states met in Lincoln last week for the annual Republican River Compact Administration meeting. Jasper Fanning, manager of the Upper Republican Natural Resources District, said the meeting proved uneventful in terms of solving any of the differences between the states... A week prior to the compact meeting, Nebraska sent a research report to the two other states outlining flaws it believes exist in the accounting methods of the compact. Brian Dunningan, acting director of Nebraska's DNR, said these accounting differences could be significant when determining a state's use of water. Dunningan said Nebraska is not challenging the groundwater model itself. The model was adopted in the Republican River Compact Settlement as the primary tool for measuring water use. Instead, Dunnigan said Nebraska believes the accounting of the results of the model runs is not being figured accurately. The 100-page plus report outlines where Nebraska believes there are problems and offers solutions to properly address the accounting results. Assuming Kansas takes the two states to non-bonding arbitration, Dunnigan said this report will be a key tool for Nebraska in the arbitration process... Thanks to the Water Information Program for the link. More Coyote Gulch coverage here. Category: Colorado Water 6:16:12 PM

Arkansas Basin watershed study and model moving ahead From The La Junta Tribune-Democrat: "The Lower Arkansas Valley Water Conservancy District voted to continue funding Tim Gates from Colorado State University to perform studies in the Arkansas River Valley. Gates asked for $40,000 and received approval from the board to continue his studies on improving water recovery in the Arkansas River." Thanks to the Water Information Program for the link. More Coyote Gulch coverage here and here. Category: Colorado Water 5:58:42 PM

Dry Gulch Reservoir update Here's Pat II of The Pagosas Daily Post's series, "Where Has All The Water Gone." More Coyote Gulch coverage here. Category: Colorado Water 5:45:56 PM

Reclamation Announces Additional Public Comment on Water Quality for SDS Draft EIS From email from Reclamation (Kara Lamb): Reclamation, under the National Environmental Policy Act, announces the opportunity to provide additional comment on the water quality analysis portion of the Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the proposed Southern Delivery System. The original 60-day comment period for the Draft EIS was scheduled to end on April 26, 2008, but was extended to June 13, 2008. Comments received during this period expressed a concern about the section addressing water quality analysis. In order to address these comments, an additional water quality analysis is being prepared for the Draft EIS. This analysis will augment and reinforce the existing analysis for the Draft EIS. Reclamation will continue to receive comments on the existing water quality portion of the Draft EIS while the additional analysis is performed. When completed, the additional analysis will be made available for public review and comment over a 45-day period. The complete Southern Delivery System Draft EIS, Draft EIS Summary, and related documents are available at www.sdseis.com. For additional questions regarding the Draft EIS, or to request a copy of the Draft EIS Summary, please contact Kara Lamb at (970) 0962-4326 or klamb@gp.usbr.gov. More Coyote Gulch coverage here. Category: Colorado Water 5:29:26 PM

Harris Sherman: We are entering an era of trade-offs Here's a recap of Harris Sherman's views from the summer meeting of the Colorado Water Congress. From the article: The era of water development in Colorado is over, and the state's new task will be to manage the water resources it has. One small problem: No one has yet articulated what the future of the state looks like. "We have a new frontier of water challenges that needs to be evaluated," Colorado Department of Natural Resources Director Harris Sherman told the Colorado Water Congress last week at its annual summer convention. Sherman began a process to develop a vision for the next 50 years in Colorado water earlier this year with the Interbasin Compact Committee, a statewide panel fed by nine basin roundtables that was designed in 2005 to sort out state water issues. While the IBCC has tackled issues of needs assessment in individual basins, it has not been able to overcome lingering mistrust left by 150 years of water wars. Sherman said he hopes the group can at least agree on an approach to finding if there is an acceptable way to move water from one basin to another. The IBCC has met twice on the topic and will pick it up again next week in a meeting at Paonia... Complicating the picture are what water users are most concerned about, Sherman said. Those concerns include: The continuance of irrigated agriculture, both in the Arkansas and South Platte valleys and on the Western Slope. How cities will get the water they need. Whether land use and growth policies can be tailored to fit water supply. If the environment will be protected. Providing water for a burgeoning energy economy that includes clean coal technology, oil shale and biofuels. "We are entering an era of trade-offs," Sherman said. Category: Colorado Water 6:39:35 AM

Northern Integrated Supply Project From The Fort Collins Coloradoan: "Sierra Club National Executive Director Carl Pope, in town for the three-day Peace Corps reunion, spoke Sunday morning to dozens of river supporters along the Poudre's banks near Old Town. He encouraged a long-term opposition to Northern Integrated Supply Project's Glade Reservoir plan. 'You've got to be in it for the long haul,' Pope said. 'People need to understand reservoirs do not provide a solution to water needs, they just provide the illusion that they will.' Pope's recognition is a sign of increasing national concern about the Poudre River issue, said coalition spokesman Gary Wockner... "Pope said conservation and storage can be done without building dams and reservoirs. 'The lesson we need to learn is natural system management of water is a lot better than engineered management,' Pope said." More Coyote Gulch coverage here. Category: Colorado Water